


Rest

by miss_grey



Series: What We Do In The Dark [28]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Coming Out, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Werewolves, sleeping, witch gene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 01:24:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20145265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_grey/pseuds/miss_grey
Summary: Gene had said major healings could knock him out for most of a day.  What Gene had done the day before wasn’t a healing, but it felt pretty goddamn big from where Babe had stood.  So...just how much sleep would he need?Takes place immediately after Gene's showdown with Sobel.





	Rest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lysel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lysel/gifts).

> I'm back! Work has got me super busy right now, but I'm hoping to get back into updating this story! (I've still got sooo much planned for this, so never fear!) I hope you all enjoy! :D
> 
> PS--this is part one of two. It was getting too long, so I decided to break it up.
> 
> This one's for Lysel, who kept me motivated while I was away :)

**Before**

_Gene was exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to drop to the ground and pass out, but before he could allow himself a breath of relief, he felt a prick of something between his shoulder blades, like he was being watched, and he turned sharply. Gene’s eyes fixed on a spot of darkness amongst the buildings. “And you?” He called, casting his gaze toward the shadowed alley between the bar and the sandwich shop. He could sense a presence, could feel someone watching. And now, a burst of apprehension, fear. Gene rolled his shoulders, shaking off his exhaustion for this new confrontation. He’d already dealt with Sobel—who else was lingering around Toye’s place? “Come on out here, where we can see you.” Gene narrowed his eyes and saw a shadow move amidst the others and peel away, until a tall, broad man dressed in jeans and a forest green Henley sidled into the street light, body stiff, hands held up in front of him in a sign of peace, eyes focused solely on Gene. “What’s yo’ name?” Gene asked. In the street, the lights flickered._

_The man shifted slightly, eyes wary. He swallowed thickly, and Gene’s eyes traced the movement. “Carwood Lipton.”_

_Gene narrowed his eyes, sorting through his memory, until he found what he was looking for. “Lipton.” He drawled. “You’re a hunter. I helped you with a spell once—meant to keep a demon out.” He cocked his head. “You don’t mean to cause any trouble here, do you?” The question was also a warning, and the other man must have understood that very clearly._

_Lipton shook his head, just slightly. “No.” He waved his hand vaguely. “I, uh…saw what happened.” He swallowed thickly again. “But I, uh… I had nothing to do with that.” He sighed, shoulders still tense. “Unfortunate timing, I guess.” And he sounded so sincere about that, Gene almost believed him. Lipton scanned the faces in the crowd for a moment, before looking at Gene again. “I’ve come looking for George Luz. About a personal matter.”_

_Gene frowned, another warning perched on the tip of his tongue, fingers tingling, when the shifter George Luz emerged from behind some of the taller werewolves. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Hey, Lip.”_

_The hunter’s shoulders relaxed just slightly and he allowed his own lips to twitch. “George.” And Gene could feel a whole muddled mix of emotions pour out of the hunter, then, but none of them were malicious. Lipton’s eyes searched George’s. “It’s been a while.”_

_Edward sidled up to Gene, then, and wrapped an arm around Gene’s trembling shoulders. Edward glanced down at Gene for a moment, eyes concerned, before he turned to the shifter. “You got this covered, Luz?” Edward asked._

_George shrugged. “Yeah, I’m good. Lip and I go way back.” He tore his eyes away from the hunter for just a moment, glanced at Edward and Gene and said “You guys can relax.”_

_Edward nodded. “Alright, hear that, Gene? They’re good.” He tightened his arm over Gene’s shoulders and brushed his fingers along Gene’s arm. His eyes were fixed on Gene’s face, and he reached a hand up to cup his cheek. “You did what you needed to do, Gene,” Edward murmured. “You can relax now.” He ran his thumb over Gene’s cheek before letting it drop. “Let’s get you home now, so you can rest.” Gene nodded, and, casting one last warning look at the hunter, Gene allowed Edward to pull him up the street toward his home._

* * *

**Now**

Gene stumbled again, and Edward’s arm tightened around his waist. “Come on, Gene,” he murmured, “just a bit further.” 

Gene nodded. “’M okay.” He focused on putting one foot in front of the other, of not leaning too heavily on Edward. His head was pounding and his vision was already going dark and fuzzy in the corners. His whole body trembled with the effort of keeping himself on his feet, and just as he thought he might lose the fight, Edward stopped in front of a narrow row house set back a few feet from the street.

“We’re here.” He said, reaching into his pocket for the keys. A moment later, he’d pushed the door open and hauled Gene in with him. “My room’s upstairs. Do you think you can manage, or do you need the couch?”

Gene shook his head. “Upstairs.” He muttered. So, slowly, clumsily, the two of them stumbled up the stairs. Edward pushed one of the doors open and before Gene knew what was happening, his knees were buckling underneath him and he was falling. 

“Whoa,” Edward murmured, wrapping both arms tightly around him, taking his weight just long enough to lead him over to the bed, where Gene proceeded to collapse. “You okay, Gene? What can I do?”

Gene forced his blurry eyes open again to see Edward hovering worriedly over him, hands fluttering, unsure what to do. “Jus’ need ta sleep,” Gene murmured.

“Alright. Yeah. Of course.” Edward took a step back and reached down for one of Gene’s boots. “Let me help ya with these first.”

Gene hummed in his throat, darkness flickering at the edge of his sight again. He reached out toward the younger man, hand searching tiredly, like he was very drunk. But then he felt Edward’s warm hand in his, grasping firmly. “What is it, Gene?”

“Stay?” He mumbled.

Edward smiled warmly down at him and nodded. “Yeah, Gene.” He assured. “I’ll stay.” And then Gene managed what he hoped was a smile as well before his eyes fluttered closed and he was out.

Babe smiled warmly down at Gene, who lay sprawled haphazardly half-on and half-off the bed. He shook his head and laid Gene’s hand softly on the bed before he returned to his task of untying Gene’s boots and pulling them off. After that, he hauled Gene further up onto the bed so that his head was cushioned on Babe’s pillows. And then, instead of potentially disturbing him by trying to tug the covers out from under him, Babe simply pulled a spare blanket from the hall closet and draped it over the other man before turning off the light and crawling under the blanket to join him. 

* * *

Hours later, Babe jolted awake to the sound of the front door opening and his mother calling “Babe?! Are you here? Babe?” Gene sighed next to him and buried his face further into his pillow, but didn’t seem to wake. Babe pulled himself carefully from the bed and hurried down the stairs, closing the door firmly behind him. “Babe!” His ma exclaimed as he came down into the kitchen. “I was worried!”

“Shhhhh,” Babe hushed, coming forward to hug his mom. “Let’s keep our voices down, alright, ma? What’s going on?”

His ma frowned at him but did as he asked, voice quieter as she said, “That’s what I was going to ask you! The whole neighborhood’s abuzz, Babe. There are so many rumors flying around. The girls at the hospital said there was some big dust-up over at the bar… some big fight that got real nasty. They said there was some new guy in town. What happened? Are you alright?” She pulled back and looked him over.

“Yeah, ma,” Babe assured her. “I’m fine. Promise.” He nodded toward the kitchen table. “Come on, sit down for a bit, alright? You’ve been on your feet all day.”

She obliged, settling in a chair but leaning forward toward him again. “What happened?”

Babe sighed. “I don’t know how much you really wanna know, ma. Or how much you do…know….”

She closed her eyes and sighed, as if to calm herself down. “About the boys? I know. We don’t talk about it, but I know.” With that, she opened her pale blue, tired eyes and met his again. “So I want the truth. What happened?”

“There was a bad guy in town, ma. Real bad. He was messing with the, uh…the Pack. And all of us, really. Everyone over at Toye’s. It got real dangerous, and there was a fight…sort of. But it’s done now, and I’m fine, I promise. Everyone’s fine.”

“Who’s this new person everyone was whispering about?”

Babe felt the blush bloom across his cheeks and he cleared his throat. “The uh…new guy. It was Gene, ma.”

“Gene?” She frowned.

“Gene.”

“Babe, I don’t know any Gene, except….” Her eyes widened and darted toward the stairs for a moment, before she fixed them on Babe once more. “You mean your friend from Louisiana? _That _Gene?”

Babe nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, ma. _That _Gene. He came to help us. And it worked…he got the situation sorted, so everything’s fine now. But it took a lot out of him, so he’s upstairs sleeping at the moment.”

His ma frowned. “Is he alright?”

“Yeah,” Babe nodded. “He will be. Like I said, he just needs to sleep. Maybe for a while. And then he’ll need to eat.”

“How….” She frowned, thinking for a moment. “How did he help?”

“He, uh…well.” Babe frowned, trying to think of what he could say to his mother. “He’s a pretty persuasive guy.”

“He didn’t hurt that other man, did he?” And Babe almost laughed at how disapproving his mother sounded, even while they were talking about a turf war involving werewolves.

“No, ma. Gene’s not like that. He’s a good man. The best, really.” He blushed, even as he said it.

His ma quirked an eyebrow, but seemed happy with the answer, or at least willing to let it go. “Alright. Well.” She cast her eyes upwards again. “I’ll keep it down. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

“Sure,” Babe said, rising. “I’m gonna head back up and try to sleep some more.”

Now, both eyebrows went up. “In the same room?”

Babe swallowed thickly. “Uh…yeah.”

His ma’s eyes fixed on his for a moment and Babe felt trapped, helpless. “Is it…_like that_?”

Babe’s heart hammered away in his chest and he just hoped his ma couldn’t hear it. “Yeah,” he said, voice thick. “It’s like that.”

She studied him for another moment before nodding her head. She offered him a small smile. “Then I look forward to meeting him when he’s feeling better.” She said. Then she rose, kissed Babe on the cheek, and ushered him back up to his room.

His feet were a little unsteady on the stairs, and he sighed a breath of relief when he finally closed his bedroom door behind him. He leaned back against it, his knees quivering. He hadn’t thought it’d be so terrifying to tell his mother, but…well. It’d gone well, all things considered. They’d never really had the conversation, but with Gene here, it would’ve been impossible to dodge it. And honestly, Babe didn’t want to. He didn’t want to lie about Gene, and especially not to his ma. 

As Babe’s eyes adjusted in the dim light of the bedroom, he couldn’t help the sappy smile that curled his lips when he saw Gene sprawled out on _his _bed, here, in Philly. Babe had never even let himself dream of this, and yet, here they were. Granted, Gene was passed out from a crazy magical witch fight that Babe didn’t really understand, but he was going to be okay, and he was _here, _with Babe.

Babe crept quietly across the room and slid back under the warm covers. He reached out for Gene and pressed his palm against the other man’s chest, grateful to feel his heartbeat through the thin material of his t-shirt. Lulled by the warm, steady thumping, Babe fell back to sleep.

* * *

The next time he woke, the sun was streaming in through his blinds, and the clock next to his bed read 8:00 am. He blinked his eyes open groggily and realized a couple things soon after. First, sometime in the night, he and Gene had snuggled up to each other and Gene had thrown an arm and a leg over Babe. Second, it was nice. Babe turned to face the other man and just took him in for a moment. 

Gene was always so intense—eyes serious, eyebrows pulled low, body held tightly. But now…in sleep Gene’s forehead and brows had smoothed out and his dark lashes fanned prettily over his pale cheeks. He looked younger than he usually did, vulnerable, yet peaceful. And of course, he was still the most beautiful person that Babe had ever seen.

Babe was loathe to leave the bed, but things needed doing, and Gene didn’t seem close to waking. So Babe pulled himself from the bed, careful to rearrange Gene so that he wasn’t disturbed. Then he closed the blinds to keep the sun out, and he left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. 

Downstairs, he found Gene’s suitcase sitting just inside the front door, with a note from Bill sitting on top. _“The Doc forgot this at the bar. Tell him thanks, again, from the Pack. Let me know if you guys need anything. –Bill.”_

Babe smiled softly at it, then set it aside so that he could make some breakfast. He was starving and he knew that Gene would be too whenever he managed to wake up. Babe was still new to this whole _taking care of an over-stressed witch _thing, but from what Gene had said before, major healings could knock him out for most of a day. What Gene had done the day before wasn’t a healing, but it felt pretty goddamn big from where Babe had stood. So. What did Gene need? Sleep, food, plenty of water, and then probably a shower. Babe wrinkled his nose. The poor guy was still in the same clothes he’d flown from Louisiana in. And Babe wasn’t a germophobe or anything, but airports and airplanes were disgusting. Not to mention the guy probably had Sobel germs still on him. Babe shuddered.

The confrontation had been intense. He’d never seen anything like it, and he knew that what he’d been able to see and hear was only half of it. He was smart enough to know that there was a lot going on that he hadn’t been able to feel like the others had. Or like Gene had. 

Another soft smile tugged at Babe’s lips as he shuffled around the kitchen, pulling out eggs and bread for toast. Gene had come all this way to help them. Why? Because Babe had called him? The thought made Babe feel all warm and fuzzy in his belly. Upstairs, the most beautiful, most powerful person Babe had ever met was currently sprawled out in Babe’s bed. Babe still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around that.

The rest of the house was still quiet as Babe sat down at the table to eat his breakfast. He poured himself a huge mug of coffee and after the first few sips, he started to feel more like himself again. As he took a big bite of toast, he thought back to the brief conversation he’d had with his mother the night before. He’d essentially told her that he and Gene were together. Which…well…maybe that was exaggerating a bit, but…maybe not? Gene wasn’t real forthcoming with his feelings, in general, but they were at least headed in that direction, right? And Babe had to admit, it was sort of funny, in a really stressful way, of course, to try to see things from his ma’s perspective. Really, all she’d known of Gene before was that Babe sometimes had to go see him for business, and that they spoke every day on the phone, and that Gene had sent Babe medicine when he was hurt…okay, so maybe the whole _it’s like that _thing hadn’t really surprised her as much as Babe thought, especially after Babe begged her to teach him how to make those cookies for Gene….. But still, that had to complicate things for her. After all, she’d come home last night obviously expecting something bad to have happened to Babe, and the way she’d described Gene was interesting. Babe wondered what rumors, exactly, were currently being spread about what had gone down, and how they were going to deal with them. Of course, Gene _was _as much of a badass as everyone was obviously saying, but not in the same kind of way. Gene wasn’t mean or violent. He was the best guy that Babe had ever met, full of caring and kindness and a good heart. He just happened to be a _very powerful witch. _

Babe shrugged, and took another gulp of coffee.

As Babe pushed his way back into his bedroom, balancing a plate of food and a large glass of water, Gene suddenly groaned in his sleep and blinked open his dark, heavy-lidded eyes. 

“Hey,” Babe said as he sat the food down and settled on the bed, “how’re ya feelin’, Gene?”

Gene rolled over onto his back and shoved a pale hand through his dark, messy locks. “Tired.” He groaned and tried to lever himself up to a sitting position.

“Whoa, hang on there,” Babe said, leaning over and supporting Gene’s shoulders and back. “Let me help.” He helped to pull Gene upward and then rearranged the pillows behind him. “There ya go.”

“Thanks,” Gene said, slight smirk quirking his lips. “What time is it?”

“’Bout 9 in the morning. Think you can eat? I brought some eggs, toast, and water.”

Just then, Gene’s stomach grumbled and he chuckled. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Babe handed the food over and Gene dug in, taking a huge bite of toast, then quickly washing it down with a deep gulp of water. “Thanks, Babe.” He mumbled.

Babe smirked. “Babe, huh?”

Gene glared at him over his bite of toast. “Don’t sass me, Edward.”

Babe chuckled. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Gene.” He watched, happy and content, as Gene made his way through the toast and eggs, chewing slowly, eyes still fluttering closed every so often. “Bill brought your things over sometime last night. They’re downstairs.”

Gene nodded. “Good. I feel disgustin’…I definitely need a shower.”

“Sure, Gene. I’ll go grab it for ya, alright? Do you need anythin’ else while I’m downstairs?”

“Wait,” Gene said, swallowing and then setting the plate aside. He frowned and gazed up at Babe. He cleared his throat. “I gotta ask, Edward…before I get any more comfortable here.”

“What is it, Gene?”

Gene’s dark eyes fixed on Babe’s, and he thought, not for the first time, that Gene could probably see inside his soul or something. “Did that frighten you? Yesterday?”

Babe couldn’t pull his eyes away from the other man, so he took a step closer. “The fight? Or you?”

Gene swallowed and Babe watched his throat bob. “Uh…both. Either.”

Babe shook his head. “The fight was pretty intense Gene, even if no blood was shed. I’ve never seen or felt anything like it. I’ve gotta admit, it was intimidating.” Gene bowed his head, finally, nodding. And _that _just wouldn’t do, so Babe took another step closer, so that he stood directly over Gene. “You, though?” Babe reached out, slid both of his hands along Gene’s jaw to lift his face so that their eyes met again. Gene allowed himself to be led. “You were badass and sexy as hell. And as always, kind and patient.” Babe smiled softly down at Gene, whose eyes gazed up wonderingly at Babe. “So no, Gene, I’m not afraid of you.” And then Babe leaned down and pressed a soft, chaste kiss to Gene’s lips. When he withdrew, Gene was still staring, dumbfounded, up at him. “I’m gonna go grab your things. I’ll be right back.” And then Babe was out the door, his lips tingling and heart fluttering.

After getting a hold of himself, Babe returned to his bedroom, carrying Gene’s bag. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t to find Gene hanging on the doorframe between the bedroom and bathroom, eyes pressed tightly closed, breathing heavily through his nose. “Whoa, Gene! Hey!” Babe said, dropping the bag and hurrying over to grab the other man and brace him up against the door. “Hey, whatcha doin’?”

Gene huffed and his head tipped back just enough that he could gaze up at Babe. “Bathroom.”

“Yeah, I see that. Come on, let’s sit you down for a bit, alright?”

“No,” Gene said, hauling himself up. “’M fine, just… got a bit dizzy is all. It happens.”

Babe rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because you wore yourself out, Gene. It’s alright. Come on.”

“Need a shower. I feel…dirty.” Gene frowned.

Babe huffed a laugh. “I get that, Gene, but you’re barely on your feet. What am I supposed to do? Let you knock your head in the shower? Nope. No, sir. Not on my watch.”

Gene huffed. “You’re insufferable.”

Babe grinned. “Look, Gene, we’ve had this conversation before. You take care of everyone else, all the time. Least you can do is let me take care of you every once in a while.”

“Fine.” Gene grumbled. “But I do need a shower.”

“How about another little nap first? Huh? I’m sure you’ll feel stronger when you wake up again.”

“Alright,” Gene sighed. “But I need to brush my teeth first.”

Babe chuckled. “Sure.” He fetched Gene his bag then stood just outside the bathroom door as Gene tidied himself up. When the door opened again, Babe wrapped his arm around Gene’s waist and ushered him back to the bed. “Alright, here ya go.” 

Gene flopped back into the blankets and pillows, his eyes already fluttering against the exhaustion. “You gon’ stay again?”

Babe smiled softly. “You want me to?”

“Yeah. If you don’t mind.”

Babe shuffled to the other side of the bed and climbed in again, not exactly sleepy, but content to lay down again for a bit. He turned to face Gene and found the other man watching him with dark, sleepy eyes. “Don’t think I thanked you properly, Gene, for coming all this way to help us.” Babe leaned forward, eyes serious. “So thank you. Really. We appreciate it. I… _I _appreciate it.”

Gene’s lips twitched. “Happy to help, Edward.” He reached a warm, pale hand out, and ran it through Babe’s hair. He inched closer. “May I?” Babe nodded, and then Gene leaned forward and pressed their lips together once more. It was soft, and sweet, and tender. Babe sighed into it, and Gene pulled back. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Gene murmured, brushing their lips together again. “I was worried about ya.” Another gentle kiss, this time to the corner of Babe’s mouth.

“Well, you’re here now,” Babe breathed, “and everything’s okay.”

“Yeah.” With a final kiss, Gene pulled back. He reached for Babe’s arm then rolled over, pulling Babe with him, so that his back was pressed against Babe’s front. Babe settled his arm over Gene’s waist, snuggled a little bit closer, and then, with a smile on his face, fell asleep once more.

* * *

Babe woke with his face pressed to the back of Gene’s neck, his dark hair tickling Babe’s nose. His palm was spread over Gene’s warm, soft belly, just under his t-shirt, and their legs were tangled together. And yeah, this was…good. Real good. Babe pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin behind Gene’s ear and the other man stirred, turning in Babe’s hold. “Hey,” Gene murmured. His eyes were more lively now, and the heaviness surrounding them had disappeared.

“Hey,” Babe replied. “Feel better?”

“Yeah, a lot.”

“Good.”

“What time is it?”

Babe glanced over his shoulder at the clock. “’Bout 2:00.”

“Mmmm.” Gene pushed himself up on his elbow so that he could glance down at Babe. “We should probably get up, then, shouldn’t we?”

“If you’re up for it.”

Gene smirked slightly. “Yeah, I think so.” He leaned down slowly to press a kiss to Babe’s lips, but this time it wasn’t just soft and sweet, it was also hot, and it felt like a promise. He pulled away a fraction. “’M gonna jump in the shower.” He murmured, and Babe felt the words against his own lips. All he could do was nod until Gene had pulled away.

“I’ll, uh…I’ll be downstairs finding us something to eat. Just head down when you’re done.”

“Alright.”

Babe practically floated down the stairs, lips still tingling, mind already focused on the idea of _Gene naked in the shower, _but thankfully his mother was in the kitchen, put together and humming at the stove, when he entered. He drew up short, and fought to clear his mind, like maybe she could hear his thoughts if he didn’t. “Hey, ma.”

“Hey. You’re up pretty late.”

Babe ran a hand through his messy hair. “I was up earlier, but Gene needed more sleep. He was still pretty wiped out from yesterday.”

She paused in her stirring to glance at him over her shoulder. “Is he feeling better now?”

“Yeah. He’s grabbing a shower. He’ll be down in a bit.”

“Good.” She nodded her head. “Then I’ll get to meet him before I head in to work. I figured you two wouldn’t necessarily be up to it, so I decided to make dinner early.”

Babe sidled up behind his ma. “What ya makin’?” He glanced down into the pot of thick red sauce.

“Spaghetti. Gene likes spaghetti, right?”

Babe shrugged. “Probably.”

She nodded, and resumed her cooking. Babe took a seat at the table, Gene’s tiredness seemingly contagious. Babe watched quietly for a few minutes, and then his ma said “So… how long have the two of you been together?”

Babe shifted in his seat. “We’re uh… I dunno, ma. We never really talked about it. It’s not…like…official.”

She turned to face him, her brow quirked. “Not official? He came all the way out here for you, didn’t he?”

Babe shrugged. “Well, yeah… but that was also sort of…business?”

“Business.” She looked pretty unimpressed. “He slept in your bed last night, Babe. That’s not business.”

Babe felt the blush crawl up his neck and he wanted to look away from his ma, but couldn’t afford to show weakness. “I don’t mean that _we’re _business, ma. Geez. Just that what he did yesterday…that’s sort of…what he does. For a living, I mean.”

“I thought you said he was a sort of alternative doctor.”

Babe sighed. He knew that’d come back to bite him in the ass. “He is. He fixes people up. Cures them. Takes care of them.”

“And yet he was fighting somebody in the street?”

Babe snorted. “It wasn’t that kind of fight, ma. Gene’s not like that. He’s just…really protective.”

“Of you.”

“Of lots of people!” Babe protested. Then, wilting under his ma’s still unimpressed look, conceded: “But…yeah. Me, too.”

She nodded. “So what kind of fight was it, then?”

“How much do you really wanna know?”

“I told you last night, Babe. The truth would be nice.”

“Well, you know about the guys.”

“That they’re werewolves. Yeah.”

Babe shook his head, still not over the fact that everyone had seemed to know except for him. “Gene’s sort of….”

“What? Like a werewolf too?”

“No, ma. He’s got…like…healing magic.”

“Magic.”

“Yeah.”

“Like… a witch.” Both of her eyebrows were raised now, and she cast her gaze upward, toward the sound of the running shower. “Your boyfriend’s a witch?”

Babe huffed and shifted uneasily in his seat again. “He doesn’t like that word, but…basically…yeah. And I told you…he’s not technically my boyfriend.”

His mother snorted. “So how should I address him? Bill called him “Doc” when he dropped his things off last night.”

Babe chuckled, trying to imagine his mother calling Gene that. “Just call him Gene.” Babe ran his hand through his hair again, as the water upstairs turned off. “And go easy on him, alright. It took a lot out of him yesterday, and he’s still recuperating. And he’s nice, ma. Really. The nicest person I’ve ever met.”

She nodded once more. “We’ll see.” Then she continued to stir the spaghetti sauce.

Ten minutes later, Babe’s door opened and he heard Gene’s light steps on the stairs. Babe stood from his seat to greet him and was struck, all over again, by just how beautiful the other man was. His hair was still damp, tousled in short, dark curls, and his pale skin practically glowed in the afternoon sunlight that streamed in through the kitchen windows. He wore a pale blue t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. He had white socks on his feet. His eyes met Babe’s, and then they flickered past him, to Babe’s ma. Babe met Gene as he came into the room—he couldn’t help himself—then ushered Gene forward with a light hand on his back. “Ma, this is Gene,” Babe said. “Gene, this is my ma.”

And Babe wanted to laugh, but he held himself in check, as his ma clasped the hand that Gene held out formally, her eyes taking him in with obvious surprise. Yeah, Gene had that sort of effect on people. “Gene Roe. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Heffron. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Babe’s ma blushed and said “Oh, call me Cindy. It’s nice to finally put a face to the voice on the phone, Gene.”

“Well.” Gene said, blushing as well. Babe rolled his eyes. Gene seemed lost for words for a second, then he cleared his throat and said “I hope I’m not intruding.”

And finally, Babe’s ma (_call me Cindy!_) seemed to get ahold of herself again and she said “Oh, it’s no bother. Any friend of Babe’s is welcome. Now here, why don’t you boys sit down. Dinner’s done.”

“Can I do anythin’ to help?” Gene asked.

And Babe could see that was it, his mom was done for—the accent and the manners and the pretty face—she was probably planning Babe’s wedding already. She smiled sweetly at Gene and said “Nonsense. I hear you had a busy day yesterday. You just sit down. I’ve got it covered.”

“Alright,” Gene agreed, sitting next to Babe so that their knees touched under the table. While Babe’s ma settled big plates of spaghetti in front of them, Gene smiled softly at Babe, and Babe felt the butterflies start up again in his stomach.

After she served herself, Babe’s ma settled down at the table to join them. “So, Gene… how long do you think you’ll be visiting for?”

Gene glanced up at Babe from under his lashes, a question in his dark eyes. Babe shrugged lightly and Gene hummed, finishing his bite of spaghetti before he faced Babe’s mother. “I’m not quite sure. Edward and I haven’t really discussed it yet, but I wouldn’t want to impose….”

“Oh, you’re not imposing. I’m just curious.”

“Probably a couple days at least, right, Gene?” Babe asked, trying to give the other man an out, but also hoping that it was true.

“Yeah,” Gene murmured, “I’m sure they won’t miss me for a couple days.” And Babe was sure that wasn’t true.

“Well, that’s nice.” His ma said, twisting spaghetti on her fork. “So, Gene… what do you do for a living? Babe said something about medicine?”

Gene nodded and looked at Babe’s mother seriously. “Of a sort. I’m an independent practitioner back home in the parish. A lot of folks down there don’t have easy access to a hospital, so they come to me when they need fixin’ up.”

Babe’s ma nodded, her own eyes also serious. “That’s very good of you. I don’t know if Babe’s mentioned or not, but I’m a nurse here, and I see it all the time—people wait to come in until whatever’s ailing them is much worse than it should be because they don’t have insurance, or they can’t afford to pay. I can only imagine what it must be like in a rural area. It is rural, isn’t it, where you’re from?”

Gene smiled softly. “Yes. I live in the bayou.”

“How interesting. Did you grow up there?”

“Yeah. The land’s been in my family for a few generations—my mother was a healer there before me, and my grandmother before her.” Gene’s eyes were full of admiration when he gazed at Babe’s ma. “They were good, strong, compassionate women. They’re the ones that taught me that healin’s the humblest but most rewardin’ undertakin’ in the world.”

Babe’s mom smiled back—the kind of smile that Babe hadn’t seen in a long time—and said “Yes. It really is.”

After Babe’s ma left, Gene gathered the dishes from the table (against Babe’s protest) and carried them to the sink to wash them. 

“You don’t have to do that, Gene, really. Sit down. Rest.”

Gene quirked a brow at Babe then proceeded to do what he had been, filling the sink with hot water and squirting some soap in, then swishing it around. “Your mother fed us, Edward. I won’t leave her a dirty kitchen.” Babe rolled his eyes, not that it did any good. “Besides, I’ve been restin’ all day. I need to move around a bit.”

Babe huffed and sidled up next to Gene, nudging him so he made room. “Fine. You wash, I’ll dry.”

Gene smirked. “Sounds like a plan.”

**Author's Note:**

> Remember, comments are love and they keep me writing! Please let me know what you thought of the chapter, and feel free to come say hi on tumblr. I'm @realhunterswearplaid :)


End file.
